Finding Those Active Feeding Windows

[Trox]

You hear it all the time in bass fishing... "Timing is everything"... In fact, they wouldn't shut up about it these last few days during the recent Elite series event on Lake Fork... But what I don't hear much, if at all, is the different timing strategies that anglers use to figure out the feeding windows on a specific day, or during a specific weather trend, in a given area... Anyways, I wanted to share my strategy in hopes of hearing others, because I really feel like I could be doing much better in this area...

 

The only way I have come up with is to find a number of areas where I have located fish with my electronics. Maybe some brush piles, a couple clumps of grass, a few secondary points, whatever really... Now, let's say I have maybe 15 of these areas marked on my graph... How I would approach this is to sit on each spot for no longer than 20 or so minutes while tossing some high confidence baits given the conditions. 20 minutes pass without a bite, but fish are present? Move on... repeat this until I finally get bit, let's say, at 10am... then reset my timer for that spot. If I get bit again within my 20min window, then I have likely found an area where the fish are actively feeding... Take note of that time, 10am.

Now, if I was really out to get the big picture of a certain lake (instead of wearing out a spot all day), I would move on to the next spot that I had marked and see if the bite can be repeated, if so, move on... repeat this process until I am no longer getting bit... At this time I think it would be a fair assumption that the fish, given the current conditions, are actively feeding between 10-11:15am in this area of the lake given my observations of the day... Now that the major feeding window is over, the process starts over and I begin rotating between my 15 waypoints until the next major feeding window occurs... then once it does, take note... etc...

 

I know that if most of us just got a single day to fish, then we are just going to go out and catch fish, not really worrying about this stuff too much... But for those times where you do have 2-3 days to be on the water, pre-fish for a tournament or guide trip, etc... How do you do it?

 

[papajoe222]

The biggest drawback to your approach is that once you find active fish on one of those spots, fished it and moved to another spot the feeding window will, or could be over.  Major and minor feeding windows are relatively short. Add to that the fact that tomorrow's windows will likely be at a different time and you haven't acquired much in the way of repeatable information. 

I have no idea what, if any, timing strategies the pros use. I personally think that they are saying they were in the right place at the right time, not that it was their plan to be there at a specific time.

[Trox]

3 minutes ago, papajoe222 said:

I have no idea what, if any, timing strategies the pros use. I personally think that they are saying they were in the right place at the right time, not that it was their plan to be there at a specific time.

That may be the case as well... It's very possible that I'm just overthinking this - definately wouldn't be the first time! ?‍♂️

[Deleted account]

10 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

The biggest drawback to your approach

All of it...

[LrgmouthShad]

27 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

All of it...

Well, come and help us. What do you do differently and why don’t you like his approach? 

[Deleted account]

6 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Well, come and help us. What do you do differently and why don’t you like his approach? 

I don't type nearly well enough to do this subject justice here. This is really one of the key items, if not the key item, that separate the men from the boys (can you say that anymore?). There is no quick answer, there are several intertwined variables that influence fish feeding activity, some having to do with the fish themselves, the forage, the body of water, location, time of year, weather, current, etc.

I will say that much like lure selection, some of it transfers well, and some is place/time specific.  

[senile1]

Good topic. 

 

The only time I really concentrate on hitting bite windows is when the water is very cold in the winter.  Cold blooded creatures require much less sustenance when the water temps are 30s to low 40s and they aren't as active.  In most cases, it is quite obvious when they are active and when they are not in the winter.  In other seasons if they aren't actively feeding, one can often trigger them to bite by fishing the proper presentation.  If I have learned a lake and know some spots where bass congregate during the different bass seasons, I can often find the fish and make them bite.  

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

Seems to me like simply targeting high percentage locations is the best approach.

Sometimes they will be there and actively feeding, sometimes not, but if fish are

present you may still trigger a reaction bite.

[Catt]

Since you brought up Lake Fork let's have a look at the winner.

 

Lee Livesay commented yesterday he run 50-60 spots he knew & couldn't get bite. He said all the fish he caught yesterday & 2-3 from the day before were from a spot he had never in his career thought about fishing.

 

Timing is second to location

[A-Jay]

Finding Those Active Feeding Windows ~

Such an interesting topic and one that's been discussed and debated here many times;

and always includes solid / useful info.

This ones no different.

My version of it has been shared a few times and may not be all that different from what's above.

Could even be simply a matter of semantics. 

When it comes to smallies for me, active feeding windows usually have a few things in common.

This is some of the deals I'm looking for.

First as mentioned by @Catt it begins with location.

So I'm starting this one with  - 

there needs to be some type of deep water access/security near by;

which can be a relative term.

Presence of bait, it just has to be there, there's no way around it.

No bait means no bass for me - always. 

Then the better conditions usually need to favor the bass.

Meaning the right timing happens when the bass have a 'feeding' advantage.

So much in this one; low light, wind on the water, emergent or dying back weed growth, bait that is pre-occupied by either spawning or perhaps even feeding themselves, pushing bait to the surface.

The list goes on . . . . . 

As for milk running spots, I do it.

I'll also camp on one or two.

Both methods produce for me enough that deciding on which way to roll is often something I struggle with. 

Finally, it's interesting how at times, a simple bait or presentation change on a spot that seems slow, can change that.

I don't do that enough as I'm usually pretty set with what I 'think' the bass will respond to.

Either way, this is when my rod locker looks like it exploded onto the front deck. 

#stickseverywhere

A-Jay

 

 

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

Timing is second to location

Amen.

On a salt water site, guys carry on about "how to catch striped bass?" at nauseum, a while back I jokingly said, I would publish my book on it in it's entirely below, here  it is:

 

Chapter one: Go to where they are at.

Chapter two: Catch them.

[Zcoker]

This has been a very interesting subject that I've always been trying to get a grip on. Having fished the Everglades all day and all night, I don't find much difference in either of the bite windows. I mean, deep into the night the bite windows are like their daylight counterpart, all coming on in blocks of time. And being in the right place at the right time is a matter if indifference, in my opinion, because it appears that these bite windows go off like an atomic bomb, blasting the entire body of water...the fish flash-off all over the place. It's as if a single telepathic message is sent throughout the waterways. Point A gets just as many bites as point B or point C. And sometimes, even, I don't think it really matters what lure is in the water, the fish will hit just about anything during their feed. Having said all of this, the biggest advantage that I can think of is to NEVER EVER let that guard down! 

[TnRiver46]

I just fish the good stuff until they decide to eat. I don’t mind chillin and waitin, it’s nice to sit in a boat, cut up with friends 

[Catt]

A good friend who guides on Toledo Bend has a saying, the bass are always biting somewhere, it's our job to find somewhere!

[king fisher]

I have an almost 100% method to predict feeding activity.  Before I get to the lake the fish will be actively feeding.  When I leave a feeding frenzy is sure to start.  When I am at the lake, they will only be feeding on the opposite end of the lake.

[WRB]

I wrote my Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar w a y back in 1974 to try and solve bass behavior.

As far as predicting the exact timing when bass will be actively feeding requires time on the water with the basic understanding that bite windows do exist.

I am a believer in low light as prime feeding periods with shorter bite windows about every 3-4 hours thereafter.

My suggestion back in ‘74 was be aware of the ecosystem activity. Birds, shore area animals, signs of predator movements. 

Location, location, location is repeated often because you can’t catch bass if they are not there. Try to determine seasonal periods, prey preference and depth of the life zone.

Tom

[Zcoker]

Few interesting observations that I feel inclined to add to this conversation, at least for my neck of the woods, is the fact that bass at night are usually much bigger but still follow about the same bite windows as their daytime counterparts. I've also noticed that many of my bigger fish have whole bass stuffed down their throats with the tail sticking out. Yet even with a whole fish jammed pack down their throat and full to the hilt bulging out their belly, when that feeding bell again rings, they still eat! Goes to show that this so called bite window or feeding bell or flurry - whatever one wishes to call it - goes to show just how strong this impulse is, regardless if they are full or not. 

[Functional]

I only know one lake well enough to do this but my home lake I typically know where the baitfish are when they are close to shore. If they are in shore, i fish the cover at my offshore or drop off locations. When I cant find the baitfish against the shore ill hit all the shore cover.

 

All the active feeding usually happens when the bass go to push the baitfish out and it usually happens just outside either type of cover. after that the bass hang out where the baitfish previously were until its time to go eat again. I have not been able to identify the conditions that make the baitfish move yet. 

 

I have no idea if this is typical and the other lakes I fish I just havent put the time in to really find the spots the baitfish travel to...not to mention theres far more forage options in the other lakes. 

[gim]

In certain situations, I don't even think that "window of feeding" even exists...because its always there.  There are a couple of situations that come to mind, personally.  When I'm targeting fish around and under docks, if the lure is placed correctly during almost any portion of the day when the sun is out and the dock is providing shade, I think the fish will bite (assuming one or more is there).

Another situation I can think of is when I'm smallmouth fishing in a relatively small, shallow river.  The fish concentrate along the shore line where there are obvious, physical current breaks such as boulders, wood, undercut banks, and eddies.  As long as the lure is placed properly, the fish will bite.  It requires very precise accurate casting to a target about the size of a dinner plate, but as long as the lure is placed there during most daylight hours, I expect a bite.

 

Most every other situation, I don't have days on end to fish a certain lake or area, so I have to just kind of hope I've targeted it during one of those feeding periods.  I can help maximize the chances for success by targeting a period of low pressure, sunrise, sunset, etc.   Targeting prime feeding locations that have proximity to deep water is a decent strategy with limited time too.  Sometimes you just don't time it right and the fishing is poor though.

 

Covering as much water as possible is also another strategy that has worked for me.  I cast and cast and cast and eventually I catch a fish or two, and then slow down in that area and try to pick it apart more methodically.

[WRB]

Every lake ecosystem is different. The 2 lakes I fished for decades have very different active feeding periods. Lake Castaic for example has very high boating noise traffic with water contact sports allowed. The day time bite periods are not in window periods and tend to bite all day long, no particle pattern to time. One reason could be the lake is closed until the sun is up, no low light periods outside of cloudy and rain which is not often. Night fishing is only a few weekends nights each year during the summer.

Lake Casitas doesn’t have high boating traffic, no water contact sports, quite ecosystem. The bass at Casitas are wary of boat noise and the bite window is about 20 minutes every 3 to 4 hours randomly. Casitas can be very tough bass fishing if you miss a bite window. Similar Castaic the lake is closed until sun rise and before sun set, allowing a short low light time on the water. Casitas also has a few night bass tournaments each summer.

At both Casitas and Castiac the night bass fishing can be good to outstanding.

Tom

 

[king fisher]

     All predators hunt when they have windows of opportunity.  From bass to humans, if you are going to catch your prey, you have to hunt for them when you have the best chance of success, not when you feel like hunting.  Bass will feed when they have the best chance of successfully catching their prey.  A fisherman will have the best chance at catching a bass if he can determine when the bass has their best chance. 

      Where I hunt ducks, I have to go early in the morning on stormy days.  Not because I wouldn't like to shoot ducks, in the afternoon on clear days, I would, but If I hunted them then, I wouldn't get any ducks.  Someone hunting ducks in flooded timber in Arkansas would disagree, and say you have to have a clear day to get ducks in the timber.  Any location will have prime times for duck hunting depending on many factors. 

      Bass are no different than a typical duck hunter.  They will hunt when the odds are in their favor.  Not that they wont eat a meal that happens to swim by unexpected, just like I will shoot a duck flying by while walking back to my truck, but they will be the on hunt for food when they have some kind of advantage.  It may be light, wind, temperature, moon cycle, boat traffic, or a combination of one or more of a thousand factors.  One lake bass may feed when a dam creates current, while a pond may be when everything calms down in evening and the insects start to hatch. On one lake the bass may patiently wait for a truck to pull up and dump thousands of disoriented rainbow trout in the lake, another lake they may hunt when the crayfish molt.

      The timing may be easy for a fisherman to predict or next to impossible depending on the location, time of year, and weather patterns.  One pond with very stable conditions, may be effected by moon cycles, while the lake with the  truck planting the rainbows would not be influenced by moon cycles in the least, unless the driver only drove the truck on a full moon, then the moon cycle would be a huge factor.

     I fished a lake when I was a kid where the afternoon breeze from the West would blow in to a small bay almost every day late in the afternoon.  The bass would go in to the shallow bay when the wind blew and feed on crayfish in the rocks.  I'm sure I could have caught them in deeper water near the bay when the wind wasn't blowing, but I was fishing from shore and never had the opportunity to try.   I would simply wait for the wind to pick up and run down to the bay.  The bay was protected from east winds.  If the wind was blowing from the east that day, I went trout fishing in the creek.  That was an example of a predictable bite window.  I wish the places I fish now were that predictable.  I'm always trying to predict a time the fish will bite, with very few predictions being right.  I have learned  one thing for sure, if my worm isn't in the water I can't get bit. 

[Catt]

One thing I have learned over the years is all bass don't do the same thing at the same time. 

 

The next thing I have learned is I can't fish the entire lake at the same time.

 

Trying to predict the "bite" window is next to impossible! 

 

When a angler of Lee's level  of experience on Lake Fork can't find the bite window I kinda doubt any of us will.

 

We might think we're that good but the best we can hope for is to get close!

[Trox]

To say that this is an interesting topic to catch back up on this evening would be an understatement! I'm really enjoying hearing others experiences and prospectives on this topic... So thanks for all who are diving in! 

 

I'm pretty sure I got fooled by a major feeding window the other day when I was catching bass rather sparsely (1/hr ish) while fun fishing, then all of a sudden it was every cast. Out of curiousity, I went to see if it could be reproduced somewhere else on the lake, and yes, I was able to reproduce it... I'm talking, I'd throw a 10" worm into some submerged grass in 15ft of water (something that I've been doing on/off all day between spots with no such luck), take my hand off the reel to fix my fly or something, and have my rod ripped out of my hand before I could even zip up! The time was ~5pm...  The bite got so good that I decided to fish a local Thursday night tournament the next day that started at 6:30pm... Long story "short", I went out and had to work my butt off for all 3 bites that I was able to grab in the 3.5hour tournament.

All of the conditions were the same as the day before. Same 15mph wind speed and direction, same cloud cover, water clarity, temp, etc... The only thing that was different was the time of day (or where the sun was located in the sky), but not by much... I left that tournament frustrated by how I may have gotten overconfident by unknowingly running into a super active feeding window and thinking that I had just "figured them out". One of the motivators of this post...

 

I have a 4 day fishing trip planned the week after memorial day... I'm excited to go out there with this topic in mind to see what I can figure out, if anything, and report back... Whether or not narrowing down active feeding windows during relatively stable/consistent weather conditions is even possible, i'm sure as hell gonna try  

[Catt]

10 hours ago, TroxBox said:

thinking that I had just "figured them out".

 

About the time I think I have them figured out they prove to me I don't!

 

There are times where everything falls into to place, the right location, the right time, & the right presentation. I've had 100 fish days, caught 21 bass in a single day that went 102#, 17 bass on consecutive cast off a single stump, & 3 double digits in a day.

 

I don't attribute it to me being that good but rather I was that persistent.

[Functional]

40 minutes ago, Catt said:

I don't attribute it to me being that good but rather I was that persistent.

 

At a shooting class I took, one guy joked around he didnt come there to do bad. Instructor made it a point for everyone to know and said "If you don't come expecting to fail you will never be prepared to succeed" This was in the context of learning something new and mastering it....has its application but has stuck with me and think of it often on the tough days fishing.